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Rosabuis

Bethesda
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Oct 23, 2022, 10:04 pm

In Europe lottery agencies are subject to regular audits and controls by a consumer protection agency to ensure that they run an honest and truly random process; and that they are not manipulating the system to rip off players.

Any similar organization in any of the myriad of state lotteries in US? What are the rights of lottery players as consjumers?

Thanks for your input.
garyo1954

Texas
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May 2, 2004
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Oct 23, 2022, 10:43 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Rosabuis on Oct 23, 2022
In Europe lottery agencies are subject to regular audits and controls by a consumer protection agency to ensure that they run an honest and truly random process; and that they are not manipulating the system to rip off players.

Any similar organization in any of the myriad of state lotteries in US? What are the rights of lottery players as consjumers?

Thanks for your input.

The state lottery commission ensures integrity, security, fairness and transparency in the operation and administration of the Lottery according to the CA lottery page.

The Commission consists of five members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. These appointments meet the requirements of the Lottery Act, which specifies that:

No more than three members can be from the same political party.

One member must be a certified public accountant.

One member must have at least five years of experience as a law enforcement officer

The page also states: The Commission approves the Lottery’s budget and business plans to make sure we achieve our mission—providing supplemental funding for California’s public schools and colleges. And give some contact info if you have questions or comments.

Nothing on how to file grievance.

Interesting, Texas also has a five member commission with one a CPA.

Other pages say each lottery is self-enforced according to the laws of it's jurisdiction.
And since we have no National Lottery we have no national commission?

Good question. Wonder why they are all about transparency, yet say nothing on grievance procedure?

PS Texas has a grievance form on their website. ADA grievance form....

https://www.texaslottery.com/opencms/About_Us/Agency_Directory/Complaint_Form.jsp
G

I'm probably here unless I'm not.
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justadream

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Oct 23, 2022, 11:17 pm

I am not quite sure how it all works but the MUSL is made up of several board members and they oversee the multi state games like Powerball and Mega Millions. Perhaps it has changed but in the past they didn't even have a policy against hiring criminals so I don't put too much trust into them protecting the consumers.
garyo1954

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Oct 23, 2022, 11:38 pm

Found a good article in the Atlantic about a book by Johnathon D. Cohen..."For a Dollar and a Dream:State Lotteries in Modern America."

It takes us through the history of lotteries, defines the reason for lotteries ceasing in the 1833-1890 period America as "brought to an end by widespread concern about mismanagement and malfeasance." All except the Louisiana lottery which continued until it run afoul of the feds.

Through the death of lotteries to the rebirth where he argues lotteries became the answer when growing awareness about all the money to be made in the gambling business collided with a crisis in state funding.

Cohen uses many interesting statistics in the book before arriving at his eventual conclusion that "we should work toward common-sense reforms, such as banning the sale of tickets online, capping the cost of scratch-off tickets and the size of lotto jackpots, and, perhaps most important, closing a loophole that leaves lotteries exempt from F.T.C. regulation, and thus free from the constraints of truth-in-advertising laws."

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/10/24/what-weve-lost-playing-the-lottery?utm_source=pocket-newtab

G

I'm probably here unless I'm not.
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justadream

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Oct 24, 2022, 12:04 am

Thanks Gary. Sounds much like the pot industry in California on many levels.
Rosabuis

Bethesda
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May 14, 2014
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Oct 24, 2022, 5:19 am

Gary,

Great and illuminating article on this topic. Very much enjoyed reading it. Many thanks for suggesting it.

R.
Stat$talker

700 light yrs West of Milky Way Galaxy's Center
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September 1, 2019
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Oct 24, 2022, 2:07 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Rosabuis on Oct 23, 2022
In Europe lottery agencies are subject to regular audits and controls by a consumer protection agency to ensure that they run an honest and truly random process; and that they are not manipulating the system to rip off players.

Any similar organization in any of the myriad of state lotteries in US? What are the rights of lottery players as consjumers?

Thanks for your input.

We Lottery Playerz az Consumerz, have the inalienable Right to NOT have the Product (a fair CHANCE) in which we purchased, tampered wit AFTER Purchase, in ANY form..whether by computer-baised drawingz or motive -based restraintz in Rulez that givez LOs unfair, uneven playing field advantagez over Playerz..!!

"Other pages say each lottery is self-enforced according to the laws of it's jurisdiction.
And since we have no National Lottery we have no national commission"

Translated?...We'll let the Fox guard the Hen House"... Which iz absolutely rIdIcUlOuSe..

Would AnYbOdY in their right mind allow a Mafia Crime Boss Defendant "In-House" prosecution, by having the overseeing Judge, Jury & Prosecuting DA All Memberz from, say the Gambino Organized Crime Family?..

I DON'T THINK SOOO

-Stat$talker
KY Floyd

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Oct 24, 2022, 4:20 pm

I think you can get a good answer to your question by looking at what happened to the people who won the jackpots immediately after the fraudulent wins orchestrated by Eddie Tipton. The money claimed by Tipton and his accomplices obviously should have gone to other players but the lotteries fought the subsequent winners when they tried to claim to money that would have rolled over if Tipton's fraudulent wins hadn't taken it.

In the case of the guy who won Hot Lotto the lottery tried to weasel put pf paying him based on a contract (which he apparently had to sign to claim the original prize that eh rightfully and indisputably won) stating that the original (and fraudulently reduced) payment was all the lottery owed him and satisfied all of thier responsibilities to him.

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